Dear Lifehacker,I've decided to give online dating a try, but there are so many sites out there I can't tell which ones are worth using. Are there any services that are more worth my time than the others? What are the advantages of each?

Sincerely,Plenty of Cupid Fish Tinders

Dear Dating Amalgamate,The online dating world is only slightly less confusing than the regular one. While most individual sites are straightforward in what they want to accomplish, their approaches vary pretty wildly. Before you pick a site, it may be helpful to ask yourself what your dating style is. Here are a few questions to ask yourself before you pick a dating site:

Are you more reserved talking to strangers, or do you engage with new people easily?

Do you want to go on a series of casual dates, or are you hoping for a long-term relationships?

None of these questions have a wrong answer and many of them overlap, but knowing your own preferences and personality can help you figure out which avenue you want to go down. Once you've given it a bit of thought, there are a few routes you can take.

Get Right to the Point: Tinder and How About We

As crazy as it might sound, sometimes people like to go on dates and meet new people without hours of filling out forms and answering multiple choice questions. If this sounds like you, apps like Tinder and How About We are probably your speed.

How About We (Android/iOS/Web): This service works on a very simple premise: dating people should involve, you know, going on dates. To use this service, you come up with date ideas that are then shared publicly with others along with a bit of information about you. There are very few questions to answer and you can get paired up with someone based on mutual interests without much fuss.

Who it's for: If you get to know people best by talking to them and sharing experiences, it's hard to get much more direct than How About We. You can get enough information to have a conversation without feeling like you're filling out your taxes. The obvious downside is that meeting people from the internet immediately without knowing much can potentially be dangerous. While online dating is far more mainstream now than it used to be, it's still important to know how to stay safe.

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Tinder (Android/iOS): If How About We has too much fluff for you, Tinder is even easier. The app requires you to log in via Facebook which, admittedly, is a pretty big risk. However, it can import and compare your various likes and interests to match you up with potential matches. You're then given a series of people you can either like or dismiss. Swipe left to pass on a potential suitor, swipe right to express interest. If you match up with someone who liked you, you can exchange messages.

Who it's for: Tinder's primary audience is people who want dead simple match-ups. Outside of tweaking your Facebook interests, there's very little you can do to add to your profile. While you don't get much criteria to go on at first, it also removes a lot of the clutter. No one can message you if you haven't liked them already. Combine the minimal features and the mutual approval requirement and 90% of the clutter of other dating sites is instantly removed.

Match a Little Smarter: Blendr and Plenty of Fish

Casual dating can be fun, but if you don't have much steering your matches, you could just be setting yourself up for a series of awkward and stressful experiences. This is why dating sites that put together matches with complex algorithms exist in the first place.

Blendr (Android/iOS/Web): Blendr (not to be confused with the 3D modeling software of the same name) occupies a handy middle ground between the no-fluff apps in the previous section and more in-depth services like OKCupid. You can sign in via Facebook, add interests, fill out basic information and explore nearby matches.

Blendr also includes some unique features like highlighting how some of your matches are connected to your Facebook friends, up to a couple hops away. It also includes an anonymous chat feature that lets you start talking to someone immediately. With all the fun and fear that entails.

Who it's for: If you're relatively outgoing and want to browse quickly, Blendr allows you to connect with people on a whim without leaving you in the dark like Tinder or How About We. While you can add plenty of information to find better matches, it's not required.

Plenty of Fish (Android/iOS/Web): Like Blendr, Plenty of Fish matches users more intelligently than simple mutual likes. Your profile can include a wider array of basic information. You can also browse matches by people who are nearby, or use Meet Me to quickly find a date. Like the simpler dating apps, if two people like each other, they'll receive a notification, so you get the best of both worlds.

Who it's for: Plenty of Fish is right on the cusp of the more work-intensive services without being too difficult. You can still get more intelligent matches and find information about potential dates without writing a thesis. If you want to go deeper, however, the option is available to you.

Enroll in Advanced Dateology: OKCupid and Zoosk

Yes, filling out essays takes a long time, but there's a reason for that: dating is complicated. Finding people you mesh with in a sea of strangers is a difficult process. If you want services with all the tools you need to cull the herd, these are the apps for you.

OKCupid (Android/iOS/Web): Easily one of the most popular dating sites on the internet, OKCupid has no shortage of tools to both express yourself and find matches. When you first sign up, you're encouraged to fill out a moderately lengthy profile and, once that challenge is completed, you're faced with an endless gauntlet of questions.

The hard work can pay off, though. The more questions you answer, the better your matches get. You can also use Quickmatch to rapidly rate and connect with matches. You'll get notifications of mutual interest, though it's not required and you can still message them independently as you would if you found them in search results.

Who it's for: People who like to get to know a potential date from the safety of their own home before they venture out into meatspace (romantic, ain't I?) will probably appreciate OKCupid. The amount of work it takes to get somewhere may be higher than most, but it can pay off. There's even an entire subreddit devoted to giving and receiving advice on how to get results.

Zoosk (Android/iOS/Web): If you like data, Zoosk will do its very best to convince you that you've made poor life choices. Like OKCupid, you can fill out blocks of text for your profile. You can add information about your ideal mate, perfect date, and your life story. You get a set of match questions to fill out, but fortunately they end.

Where Zoosk stands out is in the number of data-driven features it provides. On your profile, you can see a global popularity meter. While it's neat, seeing a big red "You're NOT Popular" when you first sign up can be discouraging. The ZSMS system also uses the data you provide via the Carousel feature (much like the other quick match features other sites use) to power even more targeted matches.

Who it's for: Despite being more somewhat transparent about its data-based nature, Zoosk is very similar to OKCupid. Both allow you to spend as much time as you want trying to refine and contact your perfect match. Ironically, despite Zoosk going out of its way to highlight its data analysis, you don't get the handy match percentage from OKCupid. However, both services are versatile and robust.

Get Into the Exclusive Dating Clubs: eHarmony and Match.com

Few dating services are more commonly known nor as exclusionary as eHarmony and Match.com. While this can be a detriment for some, many have found success with both. If you're serious about finding a partner and aren't afraid of a couple hurdles, both have their advantages.

eHarmony (Android/iOS/Web): eHarmony is one of the oldest names in dating sites, and it's earned a reputation for being one of the more respectable sites. Enrollment begins with a lengthy survey plus a few essays which collect data about you to find a potential match. Unlike most other services, you don't even get to see anyone else until you finish. The big risk, though, is that you might not finish at all. eHarmony can and does reject people outright if it thinks it can't find a suitable enough match for your personality.

Who it's for: If you don't mind the time-consuming process of personality profiles and you want to meet serious matches, eHarmony might work for you. The company boasts high rates of success (though, to be fair, most companies do that), so the investment may be worth it. However, the service has also stated that up to 20% of applicants can get rejected, so don't go in expecting a guarantee.

Match.com (Android/iOS/Web): Match.com includes a lot of the same profile matching questionnaires and surveys of other dating sites. It also has one of the largest dating pools, with over 17 million active monthly users. There's one big downside, though: you need a subscription to email other users. You can search for people, send "winks" and get matches, but contacting them requires paying money.

Who it's for: If you want to get access to one of the largest dating pools on the internet and you don't mind spending some money to do so, Match.com will work for you. Other sites offer paid upgrades, but Match.com is one of the few that require it for basic communication. This is a hurdle, to be sure, but it also means that the people that message you are taking it a bit more seriously.

Whatever service you end up using, though, the important thing is to have fun. Online dating may not be for everyone, but if you're up for it, it's an enjoyable and rewarding experience. This also isn't a perfectly comprehensive list of services either. While many are junk, don't be afraid to try something new. That's what dating is all about, right?